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Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Conjuring Power in Plants and Natural Materials

In my book, Living Spirits: A Guide to Magic in a World of Spirits,
I talk about the idea of calling upon the spirits of particular sorts of
plants, and stones and objects which we might use in magic. If we are incorporating
honeysuckle in a spell, the divine signature which defines the honeysuckle into
existence describes a particular power or nature. The radiance of the heavens
which is captured as honeysuckle is defined into creation radiates with the
presence of the plant. If we have a fox tooth it has a contagion link back to
the fox and so it partakes of the life and power of that fox. An amethyst will reflect
the radiance which drew its mineral structure into being and convey the power
and nature of its signature, much like the honeysuckle.

But in any of these cases are we drawing on living power?
Are we activating something which has motion and agency?

Each of these materials are tied to spiritual life we can
call upon to be part of our work, to bless and empower the material we are
using, and to work with us through that material. In old Jewish angelology
every class of objects is ruled by an angel. Other cultures, traditions and folklores
have similar views. The individual honeysuckle flower we pick may or may not
have a spirit of its own, but there is a spirit which moves through the world
and stirs the growth of honeysuckle, breathes life into it, and empowers its
nature. Likewise for stones, or for animals. So with each of these items we
might call upon that spirit.

These items might also have spirits based on their
provenance, which we can recognize if we ourselves collected them. Say the
honeysuckle grew in a cemetery, then we might connect to the spirits of the
cemetery through the honeysuckle. If we pulled the amethyst from a stream then
it might connect us to the spirits of the stream. The fox tooth might connect
us to the fox, and also to the spirits of the forest where the fox lived.

In the book, in the third appendix “Southern Conjure: A Practical
Guide to Spiritous Sorcery” I suggest that when making oils and powders, or
when working with herbs and materials in other types of spells that we should call
upon these spirits so it’s not just the presence of the item but the engagement
of the spiritual powers behind the item which contribute to the spell. Here is
an excerpt:

“As we’ve said, there are spirits associated with plants, rocks, and various
other things occurring in nature. So when we are making a powder or oil we can
call upon the spirits of our components to enliven and empower those components
and to work together through the combination of our ingredients. Some
ingredients might have additional spirits to call upon based on where the
ingredient comes from or if it is tied to some particular spirit or profession
or other association. Once we have mixed our ingredients, or if we are working
with a premixed oil or powder, we can call upon a spirit or god related to the
purpose or goal for which the oil or powder will be used. We can also set the
container of the oil or powder on our ancestor altar, or the altar of whatever
other guides or guardians we have and ask for them to bless and empower it and
to work through it hand in hand with us.

So say we want to make Algiers Powder, which according to
Herman Slater, is made with Vanilla, Patchouli, and Cinnamon. It’s also
associated with the color purple. It’s useful for love and for gambling. To
begin we might lay out a cloth of purple and on it place three dishes, one for
each component. Behind each dish set a candle. You might anoint the candles in
holy oil, you might sprinkle the space with holy water. Giving each herb its
own respect, for each in turn, touch the herb, light the candle, and make a
prayer to the spirit of the herb. Once you feel that you’ve engaged the spirits
and the physical material carries their power and blessing then mix your
powder.”

The
text then goes on to discuss the idea of calling upon gods and spirits
associated with the purpose of the mixture because the mixture becomes a thing
itself once mixed. So that way we have the power of the spirits called going
into the mix, and we have the direction and power of the spirits related to the
goal of the mix.

Our
prayer for the component could be really simple. Something like “Spirit which
gives life to the vanilla bean, which spreads its growth through the world and
guides its vitality and flavor, accept the offering of this candle and for its
life place your life and motion in this vanilla plant, be with me and through
it aid in my work.”

If
we have a plant which has some heavy mythology or folklore or symbolism to it we
can reference that in calling upon the spirit of that plant. For instance, “Spirit
of the holy tree, whose berries are bright red, showing the brilliance of the
blood of Christ, which Christened you at his crucifixion. Mighty holy tree
whose bright green and red shine in the dark of winter, life defying death. Spirit
of the sharp leafed tree whose leaves were hidden in spells as wings of bats,
fly forth to join me. Bring life to the sprig upon my altar and through it work
your magic with mine.”

If
we harvested the plant or other item ourselves then we can begin this link to
the spirits associated therewith at that time, while there is still a living
present and vital connection in the place where that spirit has amassed into
the growth of that plant or the crystallization of that stone. When harvesting
we can call upon the spirit, introduce ourselves, ask to work together and to
take this piece of material from them, and give them some offering at that
time. Then later when working we are recalling that connection and asking for aid
in a situation where we already have a relationship. If we’ve purchased the
material it’s still possible to build that connection and call upon it. But if
we have the opportunity to go out and harvest it definitely adds a component.

There
is another method we could take though. Recently I was reading an article which
quoted a spell from The Magical Papyri – PGM IV 2967 – 3006. This is a spell
for harvesting a plant which goes through a series of statements associating
the development, being, and treatment of the plants with several gods. The idea
suggested by the article is that this is flattering the spirits associated with
the plant to cajole them into aiding the magician.

“You were sown by Kronos,
you were conceived by Hera, / you were maintained by Ammon, you were given
birth by Isis, you were nourished by Zeus the god of rain, you were given
growth by Helios and dew. You [are] the dew of all the gods, you [are] the
heart of Hermes, you are the seed of the primordial gods, you are the eye / of
Helios, You are the light of Selene, you are the zeal of Osiris, you are the
beauty and the glory of Ouranos, you are the soul of Osiris’ daimon which
revels in every place, you are the spirit of Ammon. As you have exalted Osiris,
so / exalt yourself and rise just as Helios rises each day. Your size is equal
to the zenith of Helios, your roots come from the depths, but your powers are
in the heart of Hermes, your fibers are the bones of Mnevis, and your / flowers
are the eye of Horus, your seed is Pan’s seed. I am washing you in resin as I
also wash the gods even [as I do this] for my own health. You also be cleaned
by prayer and give us power as Ares and Athena do. I am Hermes. I am acquiring
you with Good / Fortune and Good Daimon both at a propitious hour and on a
propitious day that is effective for all things.”

Another way to consider
this though might be that it is building up a divine body around the spirit of
the plant. In Christianity there is the concept of the armor of God, in which
the prayerful associates their spiritual body with the divine armaments of God.
Earlier in Egyptian magic we find the Ritual of Coming Forth by Day:

"The hair of Osiris Ani, triumphant, is the hair of Nu [or Nun]

The face of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, is the face of Ra

The eyes of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, are the eyes of Hathor

The ears of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, are the ears of Ap-uat [or Wepwawet]

The lips of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, are the lips of Anpu [or Anubis]

The teeth [or molars] of
Osiris Ani, triumphant, are the teeth of Serqet [or Selket]

The neck of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, is the neck of Isis

The hands of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, are the hands of Ba-neb-Tattu

The shoulder of Osiris
Ani, triumphant, is the shoulder of Uatchet

The throat of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, is the throat of Mert

The forearms of Osiris
Ani, triumphant, are the forearms of the Lady of Sais

The backbone of Osiris
Ani, triumphant, is the backbone of Set

The chest of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, is the chest of the lords of Kheraha

The flesh [or chest] of
Osiris Ani, triumphant, is the flesh of the Mighty One of Terror [or He who is
Greatly Majestic]

The reins and back [or
belly and spine] of Osiris Ani, triumphant, are the reins and back of Skehet
[or Sekhmet]

The buttocks of Osiris
Ani, triumphant, are the buttocks of the Eye of Horus

The phallus of Osiris
Ani, triumphant, is the phallus of Osiris

The legs [or thighs and
calves] of Osiris Ani, triumphant, are the legs of Nut

The feet of Osiris Ani,
triumphant, are the feet of Ptah

The fingers of Osiris
Ani, triumphant, are the fingers of Orion

The leg-bones [or toes]
of Osiris Ani, triumphant, are the leg-bones of the living uraei [the rearing
cobras of the goddess Wadjet]

There is no member of my
body which is not the member of some god ["There is no member of mine
devoid of a god"]

The god Thoth shieldeth
my body altogether ["And Thoth is the protection of all my flesh"]"

So rather than assuming
that we’re cajoling the spirit of the plant by telling it how awesome and
divine it is, perhaps we’re invoking the powers of these gods and the ways in
which the gods connect to nature and therefore to the plant, to express their
power and life through the plant. Thus the numen of the plant is imbued with
the numina of the various gods, expanding its light and power beyond an earthly
spirit to a vessel of divine power.

Honestly, which makes
more sense for a magician, telling a spirit “Yo dude, I’m picking you because
you’re so cool, all these gods raised you and shit, like you didn’t know that
but it’s true, so be excited so we can do magic,” or saying “Hey, bro…I’m going
to invoke about a half a dozen gods so your natural power will be super amped,
you’ll feel good, and our magic together will be more awesome”?

The latter seems more
practical. Magic isn’t just tricking spirits.

So, what if we’re not harvesting
the plant, what if we have store bought herbs?

I haven’t used this prayer
yet, but to me it seems like it would work just as well in that case. You’d
still be building presence of divine life anchored to the plant. I’m curious to try it and curious to hear what
others get from working with it.

Pop over to our FB group
Living Spirits and talk about your experiences with conjuring living power into
the materials you’re working with in your magic.